1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a device for the expedient and effortless installation and removal of an electrical cord or string of lights on the eaves of a structure.
2. Description of Related Art
When an electrical cord, or string of lights, such as Christmas lights, is installed on the eaves of a home, patio or other structure for decorative purposes, such as during the Christmas season, a ladder is usually required to reach the eaves and some form of hardware, such as staples, nails or hooks, is used to hold the lights in place. The user normally is not tall enough to reach the structure, nor has the means to attach the lights to the structure from the ground. To install the lights, one or two methods is normally employed. In the first method, the user places a ladder against the structure then climbs up the ladder to a point high enough that he can reach the attachment point while holding the lights in one hand and a stapler in the other. While still holding the wire and stapler, he leans over to the attachment point, places the string of lights against the structure, then staples the lights into place. The user then climbs back down the ladder, still holding the stapler, moves the ladder a few feet, and repeats the process until the lights are completely installed. In the second method, a previously- and permanently-installed hanging device, such as a cup hook or nail, is used to hold the lights in place on the structure. The user must place a ladder at the attachment point, climb up the ladder with the lights in had, reach out and place the lights onto the hook, and climb back down. The user must then move the ladder to the next attachment point and repeat the process until all of the lights are installed.
For both methods, the user must have access to a ladder which is tall enough for the user to reach the attachment point without requiring his hands to be free to hold onto the ladder or structure. In the first method, the user must have enough balance to hold the lights against the structure while stapling the lights to the structure. Because the process of stapling requires the use of both hands, it places the user in a precarious position, with a high risk of falling while he is trying to attach the lights. This can be especially dangerous in the case of a two or three story house. The user must have the physical dexterity and strength to climb up and down the ladder and then move the ladder from position to position in order to install the lights around the entire perimeter of the structure.
With the first method, the use of staple is also inherently risky in that it is not always possible to control the depth that the staple penetrates the wood and, in turn, the pressure against the electrical write portion of the lights. The staple may tear through the wire casing and create a risk of electrical shock or fire.
The second method of handing lights by way of a permanently-installed hook is a safer approach than the first. However, the user must still rely on the ladder to reach high enough to place the wire within the hook. A better method is to use a device attached to a pole which will hold the wire so that the string of lights can be raised up to the structure and placed on the hook while the user is standing on the ground, thus making the ladder unnecessary. One such device is demonstrated in U.S. Pat. No. Des. 340,846 of Nicholas, Jr., xe2x80x9cIMPLEMENT HEAD FOR RELOCATING CHRISTMAS LIGHTSxe2x80x9d, the disclosure of which is incorporated herein by reference. This device requires the use of a separate hanging device previously attached to the structure to which the Christmas lights would be attached. However, a disadvantage of this device is its wedge shaped opening. The deep-V wedge shape will tend to let the electrical cord of the light wedge itself into the bottom of the xe2x80x9cVxe2x80x9d, trapping the electrical cord such that the wire will not move and may require excessive force separate the wire and tool. This makes adjustments in the placement of the device onto the wire very difficult since the release is dependent upon a fairly strong downward motion of the tool after the lights have been placed on the hook, which may yank the wire, causing damage. Furthermore the narrow opening required relatively precise alignment of the tool in order to capture the wire, which can be difficult in view of the length of the pole on which the tool is mounted. Another disadvantage of this device is the crook structure on the tool head which can be inadvertently caught on the wire or other protrusion from the structure. In the case where the lights are being installed in a tree, the user could be constantly struggling to dislodge the crook from branches and/or needles or leaves. Still another disadvantage of the tool design is the difficulty in manufacture due to its multi-angle construction.
It is an advantage of the present invention to provide an easier means for the placement of a string of lights onto a structure, especially where there is a steep pitch to the roof line, or the distance from the ground to the roof line is great, and where small adjustments in the placement of the tool on the lights is required.
It is another advantage of the present invention to eliminate the possible entanglement of the tool with the wires of the string of lights.
In an exemplary embodiment, the tool comprises a body having a top portion within which is formed a generally U-shaped notch with a width and depth that are much larger than the diameter of the wire to be handled. The sides of the notch are outwardly sloped the two sides so that the notch is wider at its top. All edges of the notch are smoothed and have a radius such that there is no binding of the wire onto the tool. The design of the tool allows the wire to easily slip across the bottom of the notch without binding. The lower portion of the cylinder comprises a concentric bore for receiving a pole or other lifting device. The bore can have internal threads for mating with an externally-threaded pole such as a broom handle, or the bore can be generally smooth with a diameter adapted to provide a straight slip fit or a wedge interference fit.
The tool is used for installing a wire such as a string of lights onto hook by capturing the wire in the notch by placing the walls of the notch generally parallel with the wire. The tool is rotated until the corners, or contact edges, of the notch capture the wire in place within the notch. The tool is lifted to a position above the hook and moved into close proximity with the hook so that the wire is immediately above the hook opening. The tool is lowered to place the wire in the hook, then rotated in a direction opposite to the initial capturing motion to release the tool""s hold on the wire. The tool is then lowered away for the wire and the steps repeated at the next attachment location. If desired, the tool can even be slid along the length of the wire to the next location for attachment.